Shall we walk back together?
by Happyheart2
Summary: This is what I imagined happened on the way home from the train station between Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson after Griggs left on the train.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: These Characters do not belong to me but if they did this is what I would have liked to happen.**

**Thank you Mona Love and GeordieLass for being the best buddies I could ever ask for and encouraging me to try and write something for once. Sorry to disappoint you though they do not emerge from the woods all dishevled with grass stains on their clothes and twigs and dirt all over them... I'm not Naughty like you two are. This is for you both :-). XXXX**

"Mr Carson, shall we walk back together?" She stepped quickly over to him and asked desperately hoping his answer would be yes. He did not respond to her but he

waited for her to join him as she walked over towards the station wall. They walked in silence for a while making their way back to Downton Abbey. To the place they

called home. Elsie wondered what their last words to each other were before Mr. Griggs boarded the train. It looked as though they had some closure by the

handshake that was shared. "Why does Charles look so pensive, why won't he just open up a bit and talk about it?" Elsie pondered. They walked slowly together side

by side in rhythm with each other. It's what they did. They were like a well oiled machined. They worked so well together. They were perfect together. You couldn't run

Downton with one and not the other.. He finally broke the silence… "She died Mrs. Hughes." Mrs. Hughes looked over at him and saw the sadness in his eyes as they

continued to walk slowly down the wooded path. She heard Charles take a deep breath and sigh loudly "Five years ago he said. They were together and separated

and five years ago Grigg went to visit her and she told him I was the better man Mrs. Hughes and that she always loved me." Mrs. Hughes took in a deep breath and

processed what she had just heard. Alice loved him and felt she chose the wrong man. Of course she chose the wrong man. Charles Carson is perfect, to me. She was

a fool to let him go, but thank goodness Alice did because if I can't be with him the way I want to be I will take working side by side with him as long as I can be near

him, Elsie thought to herself trying to hide her emotions from Charles. Mrs. Hughes slowed her steps and put her hand on his arm to make him stop. He

turned to face her. He could see she was struggling with her words and thoughts. She kept her hand there on his arm while starring at his shoes. She said in a quiet

calm voice" One thing is for certain , if she did choose you she would have made the best decision of her life. She would have been very happy with you."

Charles took her hand in his; they stood there in silence for a moment. Elsie had surprised herself by saying what she said. She didn't know what came over her but

she felt he needed to know. She wanted him to know he was special, at least to her. He raised her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. Elsie looked up

into his eyes and noticed they were moist and tears were threatening to fall. He whispered to her "because she didn't choose me Mrs. Hughes she made the best

decision of my life for me, I wouldn't have found you." He placed her hand on his arm and they proceeded to walk slowly to Downton together in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**I always wanted to try and write a first kiss so here is my sorry attempt at it. I tried. Let me know what you guys think. Thank you for the reviews and its really finished now. I won't bore you with anymore of my junk.**

Mr. Carson held the door to the servants quarters open for Mrs. Hughes. She entered and began walking to her office. Once inside she began taking the pins out of her hat. She was feeling unsettled by what was said on their walk home. Mrs. Hughes was wondering where do they go from here now. She was wondering if she was reading too much into what Mr. Carson had said, Alices' choices brought Charles to Downton, to her. Alice's decision had set into motion the rest if Charles' future. If Alice had chosen Charles would he had honestly had a go of it? Mr. Carson walked to her office door with his hat in his hands. He watched her as she began removing the pins from her hat. Mrs. Hughes noticed his reflection in her mirror. She felt butterflies at the sight of his reflection "my goodness he is so handsome and the things he makes me feel.." She thought silently to herself. She smiled shyly and turned around. She began taking her coat off trying not to stare at him, fearing he may see that his presence was affecting her. Mr. Carson entered the room to help her remove her coat. Always the gentleman after all. His cool hands brushed against her neck and hair sending a shiver throughout her body causing Elsie to take a deep breath. The feeling of her skin on his fingers was warm and soft and caused him to become flushed. He cleared his throat to compose himself. He placed her coat on the hanger and proceeded to put it away for her. The silence was deafening. They were both still processing what had happened on their walk home. "Thank you, Mr. Carson". Elsie broke the silence as she walked over to her desk pretending to busy herself with some papers on it. She didn't want to look at him because if she did she wasn't sure what she would blurt out. "I should be thanking you Mrs. Hughes." This caused Elsie to stop shuffling through her desk. She turned and stared at the hat still in his hand still not wanting to look at him. "Whatever for?" She asked surprised. Placing his hat down on the desk he stepped closer to where she was standing. Tilting his head to catch her gaze he took hold of her hand again. A flush came over her and she bit her bottom lip listening intently to what Charles was trying to say. "Thank you for helping me put my past to rest, for good." I shouldn't have run away from my demons I should have faced them from the start. My life could have been so different." I was afraid to trust anyone, to let anyone get close to me again because every time I let someone in they betrayed me or hurt me. I trusted Griggs and I thought he took any chance of me having a,wife a family away from me. I opened my heart up to Alice and she toyed with it and burned me. How could I trust anyone again? At first i was so angry with you for reading that letter and interfering..." Charles brings Elsie closer to him and places her hand on his heart. They are so close she can feel his breath on her face. She begins to breathe faster because his warmth is causing a heat to build up in her body. "Mrs. Hughes, I understand that you never had ill intentions..." Elsie looked up at her hand on his heart and interrupted him almost struggling to get her words out "Mr. Carson, I...I...would never hurt you, I only saw how much that note upset you and I was worried about you..." Charles gently lifted her chin to force her to look at him, she raised her eyes and saw he was now smiling at her and whispered softly "I know that now." She exhaled and closed her eyes and replied "Thank goodness, I couldn't bear losing you as friend." And with these words she felt his warm wet lips touching hers. She whispered against his lips breathlessly "what are you doing?" "Something I've been wanting to do for so long. He ran his tounge gently across her lips parting them so he could show her his love with this first kiss. Elsie ran her fingers gently over his chest up to his face granting him permission to kiss her and rested one hand on his cheek while the other rested firmly on his heart. Charles wrapped his arms around Elsie and pressed her closer to him. All the while Charles thoughts were racing, he wanted to tell her that she has forever left her mark on him.  
He knew he could trust her with his heart. Their need for air forced them to break their kiss. Charles spoke "Mrs. Hughes, you have lost me as your friend..." " Elsie was so confused she didn't understand " still in his embrace she desperately searched his face for an explanation...What could he possibly mean... " I could never just be friends with you again. I want more with you, I need more. I'm done being afraid to love or trust you. I know now you could never break my heart. You were only trying to fix it. You feel safe and you are my home. Taking her face into his hand he finally had the courage to tell her... "I love you." She laid her head on his chest. Listening to his heart beating beneath her ear she told him she loved him too.

The end

**Want to laugh? I was listening to Bruno Mars Song about Gorillas or something or the other and i wanted so badly to finish this with my last sentence being...THEN THEN THEY MADE LOVE LIKE GORILLAS...nothing sexy or romantic about that haha...**


End file.
